


Late Night

by FractalBunny



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Injury, Keith is a stealthy boi, Langst, M/M, Making Out, One-Sided Attraction, klangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-02-22 19:51:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13173999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FractalBunny/pseuds/FractalBunny
Summary: There was a reason Lance was so upset that Keith couldn't remember him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So basically I saw this really good headcanon that Keith and Lance had a one night stand at the garrison, and of course I had to spin it into my own depressing Klangst because I have the flu and need everyone to feel as shitty as I do right now
> 
> Enjoy :')
> 
> Edit: 1k hits in 2 days?? Get outta dodge y'all are the best

Lance was so pissed that he'd seated himself behind Keith. At first, he had no idea who the moody fighter-class pilot was, assuming he was another normal student. But no, Keith lived to spite Lance, despite not knowing his name. Lance had started to understand every dark curl of Keith's hair, the way his garrison uniform wrinkled as he sat with his elbows on his desk, how his breaths would slow down as he got bored with the professor's lectures.

He didn't know why he was so fixated on Keith. Maybe it was because he was the top of his class, and so was Lance; except Lance was just a lowly cargo-class pilot. He had tested just below the requirement for fighter-class pilots. Keith, however, seemed to naturally understand flight. On the rare occasion the professor would call on him, he knew the answers without even taking notes, without studying, without _trying_. Lance seethed every time. On the nights that he would be studying for a test, Keith was out with upperclassmen doing god knows what.

That was another thing that bothered Lance; Keith just seemed so effortlessly _cool_. He was somehow related to Takashi Shirogane, who was friends with Matt Holt, the son of Sam Holt, a Senior Science Officer on the upcoming Kerberos mission. And of course, those three were going to Kerberos, ascending them to celebrity status at the Garrison. In the center of it was Keith, a sophomore, otherwise barely noteworthy. Lance didn't understand why Keith always had to be the indirect center of attention.

When Shiro, Matt, and Sam were pronounced dead, Lance stopped seeing Keith in the class they shared. The mullet Lance used to fixate on during class wasn't blocking the whiteboard anymore. Whenever he saw Keith in the halls, he looked pale and exhausted. Lance started to worry. He didn't know why he was worrying; it wasn't like he'd ever even _talked_ to Keith.

During one of his late nights before a test, he decided to go for a quick walk around the halls. As long as he was stealthy, he wouldn't get caught and sent back to his room. Lance had memorized the patrols for nights like these, so he was confident that he wouldn't be seen. When he was about halfway through his normal walk, he heard something strange. Sniffling, maybe. Lance followed the noise, ending up in front of a door with a nameplate he couldn't quite make out. He squinted against the darkness, seeing it just barely.

"Keith...Kogane. Fighter-class." Lance whispered to himself. "Oh god, you've gotta be kidding me." He backed away from the door. Was he really interested in why Keith was crying? Was that something he really wanted to find out? Before he could answer his own questions, he found himself knocking on Keith's door.

"Who is it?" Keith's voice muttered from the other side of the door.

"It's Lance. From your second period class." Lance whispered back.

"Who?" Keith sounded genuinely confused.

"Lance, you know? I sit behind you?" Lance bit his lip.

"Yeah, okay." Keith cracked the door open. "What do you want?"

"Not to be weird or anything, but I heard crying and..." Lance sighed. "Are you okay, man? I couldn't live with myself if I didn't check." Keith's steely eyes glared at Lance through the crack in the door. They were bloodshot and teary. They pierced through Lance, looking him up and down a few times before more tears started to stream out.

"No, I'm not." Keith sniffled. "I'm really, really fucking drunk."

"Can I come in?" Lance asked, feeling his own eyes starting to tear up. He couldn't help it; he had always been a little too empathetic.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Keith opened the door and Lance walked into the messy room. There were blankets and clothes on the floor, and Keith's schoolwork was in a small pile near the door. "Sorry, it's so fucking messy in here, I just...I don't feel like cleaning."

"It's okay." Lance leaned against the wall while Keith moved to sit on his bed. "So, uh...what's up?" Keith wiped his eyes and sighed.

"The Kerberos mission. They can't be dead, man, Shiro can't be dead." Tears started to roll down his cheeks again. "He's my only family, he can't be dead...he can't be."

"You don't have anyone else?" Lance asked.

"My parents...they're uh..." Keith sniffed. "Not really in the picture anymore. No siblings. Just Shiro."

"I'm sorry, man." Lance took a step away from the wall. "Can I sit by you?"

"Whatever." Keith looked at the floor. Lance sat next to him and started to awkwardly rub Keith's back. It seemed to make Keith calm down a little, so he kept doing it.

"You...you haven't been at class lately." Lance said softly, tilting his head down so he could see Keith's eyes.

"Yeah." Keith mumbled. "Don't care."

"You're...you're really smart, though. And you missed the last test."

"I said I don't care." Keith gritted his teeth. "I don't fucking care."

"Okay..." Lance's brow furrowed. "Don't you want to be a fighter pilot, though?"

"Not if it means dying on some tiny moon in the middle of nowhere." Keith snapped.

"Sorry." Lance didn't know what else to say. He just kept rubbing Keith's back, hoping he wouldn't burst into tears again. Keith wiped his face off and leaned into Lance's shoulder.

"No, I'm sorry. You're just trying to be nice." He sniffed. "I don't know why I'm so mean to people sometimes. It just happens." Keith looked up at Lance with watery eyes, and for some reason Lance felt something stir in his chest. "What's your name again? I'm sorry."

"Lance. Lance McClain." Lance said, feeling his mouth start to go dry. For some reason, the fact that the person that he disliked the most was looking up at him with those puppy eyes was...enticing? Not in a weird way, though - he just wanted to stroke Keith's hair. For some reason, his free hand moved up and started doing exactly that. Keith's hair was surprisingly soft, and Lance started running his fingers through the tangled locks.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I can't remember you. I mean, you _are_ behind me." Keith closed his eyes. "It's really nice of you to talk to me right now even though I'm so much of a dick that...that I never even gave a shit about you." He wrapped his arms around Lance's waist and squeezed. "Thank you."

"No problem." Lance whispered, feeling his cheeks flush. He had no idea how he was feeling about any part of the situation. Despite that, he hugged Keith back. "And I'm really, really sorry about Shiro. He seemed really awesome."

"He was the best." Keith said into Lance's chest. "He was like a brother to me." He looked up at Lance again, his eyes finally dry. Lance made eye contact, losing himself in Keith's gray eyes. Before he could register what was happening, Keith's lips were on his, and he was pushed down into the bed.

"Whoa, uh..." Lance pushed Keith back a couple inches, heart pounding. "What's going on?"

"Shit, sorry, are you...are you not into that? I'm sorry, shit..." Keith pulled back further, breathing heavily. Lance honestly couldn't tell if he was into it or not; he wasn't exactly _upset_ that Keith had kissed him.

"No, I just...you're drunk. I don't know if this is okay." Lance felt his mouth going dry again.

"Don't worry about it." Keith smiled, not a drunk smile but a lucid one. He leaned back in, hovering over Lance's face for a second. "No one else gave a shit. I don't think anyone else even noticed I wasn't in class." He touched his forehead to Lance's. "Thank you." Before Lance could respond, they were kissing again.

Lance hadn't really ever kissed another guy, but he was surprisingly okay with it. Keith's lips were soft, and Lance liked the feel of his hair as he weaved his fingers through it. Keith seemed experienced, though, his left hand stroking down Lance's chest, evoking feelings Lance didn't think he could ever feel towards him. Lance pulled away for a second to catch his breath, still not quite registering what was going on.

"You're really handsome...how did I never notice you?" Keith whispered, making Lance blush. "Do you want me to turn off the lights?"

"The lights?" Lance asked, not quite understanding what Keith was asking.

"You know..." Keith tugged at Lance's waistband.

"Oh! Um..." Lance still had one hand on Keith's head, and he used his fingers to pull Keith's bangs out of his eyes. He knew what he was feeling. He was definitely attracted to Keith. He could appreciate everything about him. However, he respected Keith too much to take advantage of him. "I'd rather just kiss you."

"That's okay." Keith smirked. Lance knew that look could kill him, so he closed his eyes and pulled Keith back in. He loved the feeling of kissing him more than he'd ever expect to. Somehow, it made sense that he loved it so much, considering how fixated he'd been on Keith since day one - had it been a crush the whole time?

He decided to mirror Keith, running his hand down the side of the fighter pilot's chest and down his thigh. Keith responded with a soft moan, moving down to kiss Lance's neck. Lance started to realize how much more dangerous every second became in Keith's room; he was just about ready to get up and turn off the lights himself. He pushed Keith away, both gasping for air.

"Listen, Keith, this is...this is really fun, but I should probably go back to my room, okay?" Every single word twisted Lance's insides. He wanted to stay so badly. He stroked Keith's cheek. "Let's do this again sometime."

"Fuck, yeah." Keith kissed Lance's nose. "Thanks for caring."

* * *

A week went by, with Lance hearing nothing from Keith. He understood; it was a lot to take in. Lance was starting to deal with the fact that he was attracted to someone he previously couldn't stand. He was standing in the hall waiting for the class before his to let out when he saw Keith coming towards him, flanked by two Garrison guards.

"Keith, hey!" Lance called. Keith stopped and his head whipped towards him, his hair unkempt, dark rings under his eyes, his chest heaving. He looked like a wild animal. Lance took a couple steps towards him. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

"Do I even know you?" Keith hissed.

"Keep it moving, Kogane." One of the guards said. "McClain, step aside." Lance took a step back and allowed the three to go by. He felt something dark in the pit of his stomach. Why did he expect Keith to remember him? He was wasted when everything happened. Why did Lance let himself get attached?

Later that day, Lance was called into Iverson's office. He took a seat in one of the uncomfortable chairs, nervously looking at his superior.

"McClain...you were just out of the range to be fighter-class." Iverson flipped through a few papers. "However, your grades are extraordinary. It's obvious that you're really putting in work here."

"Thank you, sir." Lance leaned forward. "But, um, why did you call me in here? Am I in trouble?"

"No, no." Iverson chuckled. "We want to put you on the track to become a fighter pilot. We recently...lost one of our fighter-class students and thought you would be a great fit for the program. Would you like to give it a try?" Lance went cold. He was being offered Keith's place. He thought about that egotistical, superior little shit, and how he'd completely forgotten about him like he was nothing. Lance nodded slowly, his lips turning up into a small smile.

"Yeah, I'd love to."

* * *

"No way...oh he is not gonna beat us in there! That guy is always trying to one-up me!" Lance gritted his teeth so hard he thought they'd break and started making his way down towards the research station.

"Who is it?" Hunk asked shakily.

"Keith!" Lance hissed.

"Who?" Pidge tilted his head.

"Are you sure?" Hunk ran to catch up with him.

"Oh, I'd recognize that mullet _anywhere_." Lance growled. He knew the way it curved, the way it felt, the way it looked all matted up in the back when Keith hadn't been taking care of himself. He knew that hair like the back of his own hand.

Pidge let out a final "Who's Keith?!" that went unanswered as the three slid down the cliff face.

The whole time they made their way down, the only thing that Lance could think about was how terrified he was to look Keith in the eyes again and not be recognized.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many of you were asking for a part 2, and I thought this might be a nice way to dig myself out of my writer's block! So...here you go!
> 
> Don't ask why they're on a mission together...just thank me later. ;)

"Keith!" Lance screamed, running across the hallway and sliding into the small storage room with Keith. The two had taken the Blue Lion to infiltrate a Galra ship, but the comms had cut out and a Blade ship had fired on the engines before they were able to get out. Keith held up his finger, signaling Lance to be quiet. He'd learnt the basics of stealth from Kolivan, leading him to be more cautious in dangerous situations.

"You'll give away our position." Keith whispered. He peered out from the door and saw the flames from down the hall creeping closer. "Fuck."

"Keith, we have to get a move on here." Lance's voice was a little louder than a whisper, echoing in the small room. "It's hot in here. Red's still stuck to the underside of this thing." Keith sighed, and Lance could tell he was weighing their options. On one side of the hall, there was a fire, and on the other side was an unknown number of trapped Galra soldiers. Keith pointed at Lance's bayard, and Lance drew it.

"I've got this." Keith whispered. "Cover me." He pulled out his knife. "I need to get Izar out of their holding cells and back to the Blade. We're going to get through those Galra, get to the bottom of the ship, and get out of here." He activated the knife, extending it to sword length, and jumped out of the storage room without warning. Lance followed, stumbling out and forming a blaster with his bayard.

"You could give me a little warning next time!" Lance hissed. Keith didn't respond, stalking along the side of the hallway with his face mask activated. The two could hear Galran soldiers yelling from the control room, begging for backup. Keith guided Lance away from the closed door and down another hall. Soldiers rounded the corner, and Keith immediately sprung into action, his blade cutting through steel and wiring with ease. Lance knelt and started firing on them, careful to avoid Keith at all costs.

They made it down to the lowest level where the prisoners were kept. Lance kept his eye out for guards while Keith opened the cells. Most were empty, some were blocked by the flames, and a couple had prisoners that they told to stay behind them and keep moving. Finally, in the last wing, Keith was able to find Izar and Lance went out through the airlock to get Red. He was able to fit the head through the airlock and the prisoners got in with only minor struggle. As Izar made his way on, Keith was blindsided by a Galran officer, a shot just barely grazing his back.

"Shit! Go, Lance, get out of here!" He called. Lance, however, had other plans.

"Everybody, get in as far back as you can!" Lance yelled. He pressed a few buttons, programming the Red Lion to move one hundred feet away from the ship. As it started to move, he ran out through the mouth and jumped into the airlock, holding tightly as the doors behind him closed. He turned around to make sure Red had followed his commands, and the lion did.

Keith was locked in combat with the officer, both of them wielding swords. Lance would've laughed if the scene wasn't grave; he'd never seen a Galran soldier use anything but a blaster. He transformed his bayard into a sniper rifle and knelt down, holding the sight up to his eye. As Keith and the officer fought, they twirled around each other, making it hard for Lance to aim. The officer got a blow in on Keith's leg, sending him to the floor.

Keith screamed. He was rarely hit in combat; he usually had the upper hand. The Galran blade had somehow felt hotter than anything Keith had ever experienced. He tried to focus, but tears filled his eyes as his blood smeared on the floor. He weakly raised his blade, blocking the onslaught from the officer.

Lance took his shot, hitting the officer right through the side of his head. He dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, landing on the floor next to Keith. Lance ran over, scooped Keith up in his arms, and held him tightly.

"Keith, get your mask on. It's about to get chilly." Keith silently obeyed, his eyes starting to flicker shut. The mask covered him, and Lance pressed the airlock button. Both of them were sucked out into space, and Lance just drifted for a moment before he realized that Keith's blood was floating out into the blackness. He turned on his boosters and got both of them back into the Red Lion, which had a huddled mass of ten refugees in the back. When he sat down in the pilot seat, he kept Keith in his lap.

"Lance?" Keith asked weakly.

"Yeah?" Lance whispered.

"I think there was poison on his blade." Keith sniffled. "I've never felt this weak before."

"It's okay, buddy, I'll get you back to the castle real soon." Lance started to fly the lion back towards the ship, Keith's smaller form barely impeding him.

"Lance?" Keith asked again.

"Yeah?" Lance repeated.

"If I die...can I just ask you one thing?" Keith swallowed hard. "Why...why did you always act like you hated me? I mean, I didn't think I did anything wrong, but I felt...I felt like I couldn't do anything right to you."

"What do you mean?" Lance asked, trying not to pour his heart out to Keith and his wide, terrified eyes.

"I mean, when we first met you were so...combative is the word, I guess." Keith's head lolled to the side as he looked out at the stars.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Lance smiled bitterly. "It was just an old grudge. Don't worry about it."

"A grudge?" Keith asked.

"Listen, I'll explain it to you when there isn't poison in you, okay?" Lance started to dock the lion in the castle. "I promise."

* * *

"You owe me an explanation." Keith's first coherent words upon waking up were directed at Lance.

"What does he mean?" Shiro asked, and everyone's eyes moved to Lance.

"Jesus, Keith, not now!" Lance whined. That only increased the confusion on everyone's faces.

"We'll leave you two alone." Allura said, walking out and beckoning the others to follow. Once the door shut behind them, Keith looked at Lance with narrowed eyes.

"I'm not stupid, Lance. I know we started talking about this." Keith tried to get off the bed, but winced as his injured leg brushed against it. He instead sat upright and gently rubbed his fingers over the scab. "So come on, _you owe me an explanation_."

"Okay, okay, chill out." Lance crossed his arms. "Geez, where do I start..." He knew he could buy himself time by starting from the beginning. "We had our second period together. I sat behind you."

"Really?" Keith asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah. And, like, you'd always know everything without trying. I don't know if you know this, but I have, like, really severe ADHD and...it just rubbed me the wrong way, is all. I had to sit and study for hours just to know what you could remember off the top of your head." Lance sighed. "I always looked up to Shiro, too, and somehow he just... _liked_ you. And that bothered me too."

"Well, Lance..." Keith snickered. "Shiro's my cousin."

"Shit, really?" Lance's jaw dropped.

"Yeah, no, we didn't really want you guys to know. We thought it would be weird." Keith bit his lip. "But...I had no idea you were behind me in that class. Wow."

"And..." Lance looked at the floor. "There's one other thing."

"What?" Keith sounded so innocent. Lance wanted to throw himself off of his lion.

"There was..." Lance paused, starting to pace away from Keith and towards the window. He looked out at the dim stars and took a deep breath. "There was this one night. And I should have told you about it right away, but I didn't, and I feel like a total asshole because of it." He could feel Keith's eyes boring holes in his back. "I was walking around the halls the night before a big test. We weren't supposed to be out, but I memorized the patrol routes of the officers. When I got to your room, I heard...I heard you crying."

"What?" Keith yelped.

"Shiro, Matt, and Sam had just been pronounced dead. You were really drunk. You didn't know who I was then, either." Lance chuckled to himself. "You were a total mess, man."

"Shit." Keith put his head in his hands. "I don't remember any of that."

"And then..." Lance stopped again, leaning his forehead against the window. "Fuck."

"Did something happen?" Keith asked.

"Yeah, something happened." Lance took a shaky breath. His heart was pounding against his ribcage. He felt butterflies clawing at his stomach. "You...uh..." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "You kissed me. And then you forgot who I was a week later when they kicked you out."

A silence swallowed the room. Lance kept leaning against the window, eyes tightly shut. He heard Keith shuffling, quietly swearing to himself, and finally he heard two feet hit the floor. Footsteps grew closer and closer until there was a hand on his shoulder, spinning him around against his will to face Keith.

"I'm sorry." Keith's features were softer than normal. He looked hurt. He looked defeated.

"It's okay." Lance forced a smile. "I'm glad we got to be friends anyways." Keith locked Lance into a tight hug, pressing his face into Lance's shoulder. Lance was surprised, but hugged him back, resting his head on Keith's.

"You..." Keith whispered. "I get why you wanted to spite me all the time. But you were always there for me even though I acted like a total asshole. Thank you." He pulled back, his hands gripping Lance's waist. "And...I don't know if this is the weird Altean pain meds that Allura gave me, but I'm really pissed I can't remember that night." He let go of Lance and walked over to the table on the side of the room with his clothes and gear on it. Lance was frozen in shock and a mixture of something else.

Keith put everything in the bag Allura had left for him and turned back to look at Lance, smiling sheepishly.

"I'll see you around, Lance." Keith started walking towards the door, but Lance immediately snapped back into action and jogged after him. He grabbed Keith's shoulder and spun him around, just like Keith had done to him moments before.

"You are the _fucking_ worst." Lance leaned forward and planted a kiss on Keith's lips, only staying there for half a second and then pulling back. Keith's eyes were about to pop out of his head. "See you around." Lance strode out of the recovery room, leaving a very flushed Keith in his wake.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't say I never gave you people anything
> 
> Follow me on tumblr at red-paladin-akira!

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the art this is semi-based on: http://caseydambro.tumblr.com/post/163027075460/he-said-were-not-lovers-were-just-strangers


End file.
